May 14, 2018 - Sunday was the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Next Sunday is the Day of Pentecost which tradition tells us is the birth of the Jesus Movement. Today is also Mother’s Day. This holiday is set aside to honor mothers and those who helped raise us. Mothers are instrumental in the family: We often see what happens to families where love has disappeared or never existed. Jesus certainly understood the import of mothers, our families, our friends, our marriages, our church, and our journey in faith. One of our most important priorities in life is relationships and our most valuable resources are time, attention, and love. This week Joy and Gene will celebrate their 50th anniversary—congratulations to the newlyweds!
Our Sunday school lesson had Leviticus 23: 9-14, 22 as the scripture for the lesson titled “Bringing First Fruits.” Our writer provided some really humorous anecdotes and also provoked a wide-ranging discussion in our small class this morning. Ms. Fannie kept bringing us back to the idea that our best and first gifts should be for God.
Last week a group of us met at Focused Care for singing, stories, and fellowship. Nora, Jo, Fannie, Hilda, Pastor Matt, and I were welcomed as we always are. Morris picked the songs that we sang, and Ms. Hilda played the piano. Fannie and I shared stories about Mother’s Day, and Nora told a funny story about why you should never give a pig pancakes. Matt shared a scripture dealing with passages and told the residents about finishing up at seminary. We are all really proud of Matt, and I know he will not miss the drive to Dallas and back every week.
School will soon be out; summer will officially begin. The last week or so, the temperatures have been in the 90s, reminding us that we live in Texas. All this month we will collect cans of fruit for Community Christian Services. This Tuesday we head to Holiday Nursing Center for our ministry there. Our program starts at 2:00, and everyone is invited.
“Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here.” Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:30 and Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist you can send me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. Godspeed.